I'd agree with you, but it's safest not to go there! Let's stick to persecution.
I'm not going to discuss the New Testament. There's no clear evidence of
Roman persecution there, though there's
plenty of trouble with other Jews. This, however, is a different matter. Jesus was crucified as a rebel, and justified or no, this didn't
help the early
church.
The first possible reference to the
church is in Suetoniús. 'Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, [
Claudius] expelled them from
Rome.' (
Claudius,
XXV). This might be a reference to the
church, but XRISTOS means 'Messiah', and there appear to have been other claimants to the title. Then again, Chrestus is known as a name. We don't know. As a
Jewish sect, the
church was probably caught up in the expulsion. Jews appear to have started drifting back early in the reign of
Nero.
Suetonuis claims it as fact that
Nero started the Great Fire of
Rome, but the more sober
Tacitus reports it as an allegation. It didn't go away, and as scapegoats, he used 'A class hated for for their abominations, called Christians by the populace'. So by Nero's time, the
church was recognised by the authorities as a distinct group, though not necessarily as distinct from the Jews. It may well have been seen as a group within Judaism.
Tacitus then continues with a brief discussion of Jesus' crucifixion. It's clear that the Christians were extremely unpopular, though we can't be sure whether they were unpopular with everyone, with the authorities, or just with
Tacitus, who writes in retirement at the beginning of the 2nd Century.
'An immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of arson, as of hatred of the human race'. So were they convicted of Christianity, or of arson? It's not clear, though some were crucified and then set on fire, and death by burning was normal for arsonists.
Having blackened the name of the Christians, who he clearly despises,
Tacitus then proceeds to blacken Nero's name by waxing large on the cruelty of the executions.
Tacitus is, of course, a Senator,
Nero quarreled with the Senate, and in any case Tacitus' main aim is to establish that all the troubles of
Rome stem from imperial misrule.
One important manuscript says that the Christians were indicted on 'a double charge', Christianity and odium humani generis, hatred of the human race. This was a real crime, usually used against magicians, and punished with death by burning. It's quite possible that we have the actual charge here.
Tacitus also calls Christianity 'a deadly superstition' (excitiabilis superstitio), suggesting that it may have been regarded as a 'superstitio illicita' or banned religion. It's far from clear, though, that Christianity was officially distinguished from Judaism at this time, and
Tacitus may have been reading the conditions of the early 2nd Century back into the 1st. Suetonius, again
writing in the 2nd Century, also refers to Christianity in this context as a 'superstitio'.
It's clear that the Jews suffered in the aftermath of the failed First Revolt, and the
church will have been affected as well, as a
Jewish sect. This was not, however, aimed at Christians. Things were worst under
Domitian, a nasty piece of
work, and a
man who has often been accused of persecuting Christians. Evidence, however, is lacking. One alleged
Christian was banished, but even if she was
Christian, that doesn't make a persecution.
Writing late in the century, the author of 1 Clement makes general references to persecution, but was this from Jews or
Romans?
Peter and Paul are mentioned as martyrs, but unlike later writers, he doesn't say they were killed together, and makes no mention of where they were killed.
So on the evidence, state persecution of the
church in the 1st Century was quite minor. A small, obscure group, they were as vulnerable as any minority, but they attracted little official notice.
I'll continue this later.